Games World of Puzzles December 2017

Product Description

…From the Editor

Believe it or not, 2017 is already winding down, and so we welcome you to the December issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES. As always, we strive to end the year on a high note by bringing you a special issue jam-packed with your favorite puzzles and features. As he does every December, our longtime game reviewer Thomas L. McDonald reveals his picks for Game of the Year, both electronic and traditional, along with winners in four different categories. If you’re still on the hunt for holiday gifts for the gamers in your life, turn to “The Year’s Best Games” (page 32) for some great ideas.

In addition to the expanded year-end game review section, our December issue wouldn’t be complete without a few holiday-themed puzzles. To fill that bill, we present “Christmas Tree Sudoku” (page 50), “Whiteout!” (page 29), and “Holiday Turning Points” (page 19), which inspired this issue’s festive cover design. Even Raymond Simon got in the holiday mood, devoting his usual “Game On!” page to a special Christmas acrostic.

Puzzle fans will also enjoy “Stamp Sequences” (page 38), in which author Paddy Smith draws on his extensive stamp collection to create an amusing exercise in sequential logic. Other puzzle highlights include “LogiSquares” (page 54) and “Mixed Triples” (page 22) for those who can’t get enough of “Mixed Doubles” (page 3).

And of course that’s not all. If you need a break from puzzling, check out “I Am Everywhere: A Profile of Max Favalelli” (page 40). In this piece, authors Jonathan Schmalzbach and Francine Varner take a look at the life and work of France’s Favalelli, an iconic verbicruciste (cruciverbalist) who passed away in 1989. It might be helpful if you can read some French, but even if you can’t, we think you’ll still find this piece fascinating if you like crosswords or just words in general.

We at GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday season. See you in the New Year!

Jennifer Orehowsky
Senior Editor

CONTENTS

IN THIS ISSUE

The Year’s Best Games

And the winners are…

Stamp Sequences

A visual sequence puzzle with a philatelic twist

I Am Everywhere

A profile of famous French verbicruciste Max Favalelli

Your Word Against Mine: Scrabble Happenings, Puzzles, and Tips

Will Anderson, winner of the 2017 North American Scrabble Championship

PLUS…

Wild Cards

A potpourri of amusing little puzzles for your solving pleasure

What’s Happening

Previews of upcoming events

Contest: TV Role Playing 2

Contest Results: Coded Crisscross V (from April)

Game On!

A special holiday-themed acrostic

Sole Survivor: Scattered

A challenging chess puzzle

PENCILWISE

Gift Exchange

Holiday Turning Points

Pencil Pointers

Really, Really

Stacked Stars

To-ma-to Stew

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

…and More!

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Corrections

"IMPASSE"

June, page 50

In “Impasse” (June, page 50), the diagram was mistakenly printed without arrows, making the puzzle impossible to solve. You can find a corrected diagram here. Our apologies for the oversight.